1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a headgear for protecting the ears of athletes, especially in the sport of wrestling and more particularly to a headgear of relatively few parts that permits simple assembly, easy adjustment and provides a comfortable fit with enhanced release of perspiration at the ear protection area, and good sound reception.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,818 to Roberts shows earguards with an inner rubber portion riveted to a rigid convex shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,898,596 to Keen shows a headgear with earguards that include a rigid inner shell covered by a soft foam-like material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,921 to Helm shows wrestling headgear with a rigid shell having central ventilation openings and a peripheral pad riveted to the periphery of the shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,316 to Pukish, Jr. shows a wrestling headgear with head and chin straps that are stitched to the right and left ear covers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,482 to Holden shows a wrestling headgear with straps that pass through loops that are riveted to each ear cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,611 to Beguin shows ear cups attached to a head harness by straps that pass through a pivotal mounting ring within the ear cup.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,596,288 to Marchello; 3,628,191 to Douglas; 4,551,861 to Marchello; 4,710,985 to Dubner et al; 4,706,305 to Cho; and 5,500,951 to Marchello show head straps formed as a continuation of the earguard.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,037 to Morgan shows a headgear that includes a cover portion for the forehead.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,821,345 to Marchello and 5,504,945 to Purnell show a headgear with strap ends disposed between a soft outer layer and a rigid inner shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,815 to Anduiar shows a headgear formed of resilient foam and pad members to protect the wearer from forceful blows to the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,143 to Marchello shows an earguard assembly with a peel off inside pad to facilitate cleaning of the earguard.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,420 to Dobbs et al shows a headgear for wrestlers that covers the entire head and ears.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,393 to Marchello shows a headgear with adjustment straps and ear cover members that include a relatively hard plastic outer layer and an inner soft foam liner that are integrally joined together.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,516 to Purnell shows a wrestling headgear with earpieces that have integrally joined Velcro adjustment straps.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,565 to Tsujino and U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,186 to Purnell show a wrestling headgear with adjustment straps that pass through openings in one member of a multi-member earguard.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,395 to Keen shows a headgear with straps that pass through D-rings on the right and left ear covers, the D-rings being attached to each ear cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,156 to Purnell shows a headgear with strap portions that are integral with left and right side ear protectors.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,558 to Keen shows a wrestler's headgear wherein right and left ear cover assemblies include a soft inner cushion and a plastic outer shell that are held in place by headstraps.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,167 to Coutant shows a headgear with component portions of the earguards integrally joined together.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,197,773 to Purnell shows a wrestling headgear with ear covers that include two relatively rigid members that snap together and receive a foam inner pad.
U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D 469,928; D 476,450; and D 553,803 to Keen et al. show various designs for a wrestler headgear or components thereof.
U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D 548,404 and D 551,393 to Purnell show designs for a wrestler headgear.
Some common problems with known headgear of the type previously discussed is that they may be difficult to adjust or assemble, or if assembly is simplified the component parts may shift with respect to each other after adjustment. A further problem with known headgear is that they can muffle outside sound, which is discomforting to the wearer. Also, in many known headgear, perspiration accumulates around the ears within the earguard, which can cause slippage of the earguards on the head during wrestling activity.
Earguard slippage is distracting to the wrestler and can compromise ear protection, obstruct the wearer's vision and lead to temporary stoppage of a wrestling match while the headgear is repositioned on the wearer's head.
It is thus desirable to provide a headgear that is comfortable to wear, has good sound transmission, permits enhanced release of perspiration from around the ears and is thus relatively slip resistant on the head. It is also desirable to provide a headgear of simplified construction that is easy to assemble and disassemble, and adjust into a comfortable position on the head that is positionally stable. It is further desirable to provide a headgear with few parts that does not require permanent or complex assembly of the components by bonding, riveting, gluing, and the like to form a stable integral unit.
In accordance with the present invention, each earguard of the headgear includes a separate inner earguard pad and a separate outer protective shell with mating recesses and projections. The pads and shells are easily assembled together with detachable head straps, provided at the head and neck area, and a chin strap to form a positionally stable earguard assembly. It will be noted that head straps provided at the neck area are occasionally referred to as neck straps in this description. The headgear can also be easily disassembled into its component parts when desired.
The headgear includes a right earguard assembly and a left earguard assembly that are symmetrical. Each earguard assembly includes an inner earguard pad and an outer protective shell detachable from each other, a plurality of elongated head straps extending from one of the earguard assemblies to the other earguard assembly detachably joined to the right and left earguard assemblies to prevent detachment of the inner earguard pad and the outer protective shell of each earguard assembly. Each protective shell has a predetermined peripheral shape including a first corresponding plurality of peripheral lobes, and each earguard pad is formed with a second corresponding plurality of lobe-like peripheral wall portions that surround and embrace the peripheral lobes of the protective shell to align the respective outer protective shells on the respective earguard pads in respective predetermined alignment positions.
Each protective shell has an irregular asymmetric peripheral shape, and each earguard pad is formed with an irregular asymmetric peripheral wall of complementary shape and size with respect to the irregular asymmetric peripheral shape of the protective shell such that the irregular asymmetric peripheral wall of the earguard pad surrounds and embraces the irregular asymmetric periphery of the protective shell to align the earguard pad and protective shell in the earguard assembly.
Each protective shell includes peripheral sections that extend between selected pairs of peripheral lobes and each earguard pad includes supplemental wall portions that engage the peripheral sections of the respective protective shells when the respective protective shells and the respective earguard pads are in their respective predetermined aligned positions, to enhance the positional stability of the protective shells on the earguard pads in the respective aligned positions.
Each protective shell has an outer surface and the peripheral lobes have a radially outer peripheral edge. The outer surface is formed with channels that extend from the slot-like openings in the peripheral lobes to the radially outer peripheral edge to accommodate the straps.
Each protective shell and each earguard pad are provided with a corresponding plurality of slot-like openings that respectively align when the protective shell and the earguard pad are in their aligned positions in the earguard assembly. The slot-like openings are provided in the peripheral lobes of the protective shell, and each earguard pad is formed with corresponding slot-like openings that align with the slot-like openings in the respective protective shells when the protective shells and the earguard pads are in their respective predetermined alignment positions.
At least one of the earguard pads include supplemental wall portions that engage the periphery of at least one of the protective shells between selected pairs of peripheral lobes on the at least one protective shell.
Each earguard pad has an inner surface and an inner surface outer periphery. The inner surface of the earguard pad is formed with channels extending from the slot-like openings in the earguard pads to the inner surface outer periphery of the earguard pads, to accommodate the straps.
Each earguard pad has a channel formed in the lobe-like peripheral wall portions in alignment with the channels in the outer surface of the protective shells.
Each earguard pad has an outer surface formed with a select number of spaced alignment bosses that protrude outwardly from the outer surface and each protective shell includes a corresponding number of openings aligned with the respective alignment bosses to receive the alignment bosses when the respective outer protective shells and the respective earguard pads are in their respective alignment positions to enhance the positional stability of the protective shell on the earguard pad in the aligned position
The head straps include means for adjusting and maintaining selected individual lengths of the respective straps between the right and left earguard assemblies.
The head straps have opposite ends and an upper surface and an under surface that includes a first set of hook and loop fastening means at the under surface of the strap such that entry of one end of one head strap initially through the shell slot and then into the earguard slot of one of the earguard assemblies permit hook and loop attachment at the under surface of the one head strap. The head strap further includes a second set of hook and loop fastening means at the upper surface of the strap such that entry of the opposite end of the head strap initially through the earpad slot and then into the shell slot of the other earguard assembly permit hook and loop attachment at the upper surface of the head strap.
The plurality of peripheral lobes in each protective shell corresponds to the plurality of head straps, and the corresponding plurality of lobe-like peripheral wall portions in the earguard pad surround and embrace the peripheral lobes to align the outer protective shell on the earguard pad in a predetermined alignment position.
The outer protective shell can be made of any suitable material that is sufficiently rigid to protect the ear of the wearer of the headgear, and is preferably a plastic material such as low density polyethylene. The inner earguard pad and the outer plastic protective shell are constructed such that the outer plastic shell mates with minimal slippage with respect to the inner earguard pad to form the earguard assembly.
Each of the earguards have slots or openings near the periphery of the earguard to releasably accommodate the head straps, neck straps and chin strap. All straps are individually adjustable to enable the headgear to be easily custom fitted onto the head and over the ears of the wearer.
Adjustability and assembly of the earguard components is preferably accomplished with hook and loop connections (such as sold under the trademark Velcro) at opposite end positions of the head, neck and chin straps. The head and neck straps pass through aligned openings near the periphery of the earguard pad and the earguard shell, to secure the pads and shells together and thus form the headgear.
The outer plastic protective shell can be manufactured by processes well known in the art, such as, for example, by injection molding, casting and other equivalent procedures, from suitable materials such as low density polyethylene and other equivalent materials.
The inner earguard pads can be manufactured by processes well known in the art, such as, for example, injection molding, casting, and other equivalent procedures well known in the art, from such suitable materials as compressed energy absorbing foam and other equivalent materials well known in the art.
Corresponding reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.